1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a vehicle accessory and more specifically to a removable end cap assembly for a vehicle side bar and its method of installation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A side bar is a common accessory on a number of vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, sports utility vehicles, large utility trucks or jeeps. The side bar is multi-purpose in that it can be used for appearance and/or protection of the vehicle. For example, a side bar may provide protection to both the door and side of the vehicle. Specifically, certain vehicles are commonly used for off-road activities, which often involve maneuvering through all types of conditions including dirt, uneven terrain, mud, bodies of snow and ice. Driving through these conditions may cause debris, such as dirt, rocks and other particles to be projected onto the vehicle causing dents, nicks and other similar damage to the vehicle and paint. A side bar may deflect the various types of debris before contact is made with the vehicle. Moreover, a side bar may be attached to the side of a vehicle for appearance purposes. Many vehicle owners choose to install an externally mounted side bar to enhance the appearances of the vehicle. In particular, owners who display their vehicles at shows or use the vehicle for activities such as racing often add a side bar to impart a certain character to the vehicle.
Side bars are generally constructed from a strong and durable material, such as steel, titanium, and aluminum, and are often fabricated to be hollow, tubular rails, with two open ends, to be light-weight and maintain the performance of the vehicle. Therefore, side bars are generally constructed as a singular, open-ended rail, and require the vehicle owner to install two end caps to close off the open end of the side bar. Many vehicle owners choose to permanently weld the end caps to the open ends of the side bar. In this fashion, vehicle owners purchase or fabricate end caps constructed from the same material as the side bar, and weld the end cap onto the open end. After welding the end cap onto the open end of the rail, the side bar appears to be a one-piece, close-ended rail constructed from a single material.
Welding the end cap to the open end of a side bar, however, makes replacing a damaged end cap extremely difficult and cumbersome. Vehicles with side bars are commonly used for off-road activities, and thus are more susceptible to be damaged by rocks, dirt, ice, and other types of debris. Therefore, side-bars and their corresponding end caps are highly vulnerable to being damaged because they are located near the ground and in alignment with the vehicle's tires. As such, end caps are likely to be damaged when off-road driving or driving over uneven terrain. When a welded-on end cap gets damages, a vehicle owner is limited to either purchasing a new side bar and reinstalling new end caps, or cutting off the damaged end cap and re-welding a new one. Unless the vehicle owner executes one of these options, the damaged welded-on end cap will remain in place and diminish the appearance of both the side bar and the vehicle. Therefore, although welded-on end caps achieve the one-piece, close-ended appearance desired by many vehicle owners, welded-on end caps also require significant effort and expense to replace and reinstall the end caps after they are damaged.
Instead of welded-on end caps constructed from the same material as the side bar, many vehicle owners choose to purchase plastic end caps that fasten to the side bar. Plastic end caps can be replaced more easily than welded-on end caps because they are commonly fixed to the end cap using screws, nuts and bolts, or other types of removable fastener assemblies. In this way, if a plastic end cap gets damaged, a vehicle owner can detach the end cap from the side bar by unscrewing a threaded fastener, or a plurality of threaded fasteners, and re-install a new end cap, instead of replacing the entire side bar, or cutting off a damaged, welded-on end cap and re-welding a new end cap. Although plastic end caps may be more easily removed compared to welded-on end caps, plastic end caps have an installation process that requires the vehicle owner or mechanic to exert a significant amount of manual dexterity, and may require more than one person to complete. Additionally, plastic end caps do not achieve the one-piece, close-ended appearance desired by many vehicle owners. Even if a plastic-end cap is coated with a chrome finish, or other type of non-corrosive finish, a metallic side bar with the same coated finish may have a different appearance than the plastic end cap due to the texture of the external surface of the plastic end cap. Moreover, the plastic end cap may not have the desired strength and durability necessary for repeated off-road driving, therefore the vehicle owner may need to purchase replacement end caps more often. Also, plastic end caps may not protect the interior of the side rail because they are locally fixed to the side bar using screws and may not seal the outer perimeter of the open end of the side bar.
A need exists for an end cap assembly for a vehicle side bar that is strong, durable, easy to install, and able to achieve the one-piece, close-ended appearance that many vehicle owners desire when purchasing a side bar. The end cap assembly should have a simple construction that makes removing and installing the end cap assembly a single step process. The end cap assembly should be able to be constructed from the same material as the side bar, and further able to be installed without welding. In addition, the end cap assembly should seal the open end of the side bar to protect the longevity and durability of the side bar.